Spring-platform for vehicles.



No. 838,956 PATENTED DEG. 18 1905. F. G. DAVIS. SPRING PLATFORM FOR VEHWLES. AAAAAAAAAA N TILED 13110.5, 1'90'4.

"ERA-Nels e; AVIS.

BABCOCK COMPANY, or orniiw roan.

l- SPRING-PLAT ORM, Foe VEHICLES. I I

QF W ER OW WATEBTOWN, -E -YoRK-n. on e Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented-Dec. is, 190" Application filed De m er 5, 190}; SerialNo. 235,480.

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, FRANCIS G. Dim, of

Watertown, in the the Stateof New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Spri'ng-Platforms for Vehicles, of whichthe following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, isa full, clear, and exact d This invention relatesto certain improve ments in spring-platforms for vehicles, and

refers more particularly to side-spring platforms in which a pair ofparallel'side' springs span the distance between and are secured to the front bolster and rear axle of the vehicle for supporting a wagon-body. springs are usually arched u wardly at their longitudinal centers, upon ed suitable side bars having their longitudinal centers secured to the springs and their ends equipped with suitable means for suporting a "ehicle-body.- The bearing-sun. faces of the side bars ally terminate abruptly at the ends, either at right angles or-a-t an acute angle with the adjacent face of the spring, and I have discovered that the strain on the springs and their tendency to crystallization and breakage is most severe-and more frequent at these points owing tothe fact that here the ibrations or yield of the springs are brought to a sudden termination.

My object therefore is to avoid this abrupt ending of the bearings between the bars and springs by making the lower bearingiace of each bar continuous and curved longitudinally at the ends, so as to establish. a rolling contact with the adjacent face of the spring as-the latter is compressed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is perspective View of a spring-platform. embodying thefeatures of my invention. Fig. 2 is a side View of one of the side springs and its side bar mounted thereon.

a and I) represent thefront and rear axles 1 of a .Vehicle, and c is a bolster which is con nected to the front axle bya suitable kingbolt and fifth-wheel sections.

l 1 are parallel side springs having'their front ends secured to the ends of the bolescription.

These side i w llGh are mountupon the springs usustei and their rear axle b. 'These springs 1 are somewhat semicounty of Jefierson, 1Ilthe load over a ends secured to the ,rear

elliptical inform, flattened or curved straight line and arched upwardly,

with theirends slightly their central portions so that the central and each end portion form a compound curve; Mounted upon and secured to the top faces of the springs 1 are lengthwise sidebars 2,'

their central portions, so that the lower faces of the ends of the "bars form compound curves with the central portions and constitute rocker-bearings forthe. contiguous faces of the springs. It is now evident that diminished or shifts from one position to another the contiguous faces of the springs and their side bars roll or rock upon each other, thereby continually changmgtheextrem'e front and rear bearing-points-and aflorigitudinallytoward a p as theload upon the plat-form is increased or fordingfla more even distribution of the load along the spring. For example, suppose a dead-load to be applied to the bars 2., Then 'the central arch of the 'springs 1 would be more or less depressed or straightened, thereby lengthening the bearing-surfaces be tween the springs and bars and distributing As the load is drawn over more or less rough pave1nents,.the pressure on the. springs and 8.0 greater length of the springsjy consequently the bearing-points between the springs and bars are continually and tluerefore the neutral point of is not confined to any spring, and the liability ofcrystallizat-ion is reduced to a minimum.

Having thus described my invention, What changing, vibration I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Pat Y out, is I -In combination with the front and rear axles of a vehicle, a bolster mounted on said front axle, continuous, longitudinally-disposed laminated steel springs seeuringsaid together, said springs bolster and rear axle being arched in their central portion, and

particular part of the side -b a1"s ada t ed tQyaonnect said In witness whereof I hafire hereunto set springs and a' wagon- 'dy, said sideibar's so my hand this 28th dayI- f November l904.

hollowed out as to conform with the curva fture-ofthe. spril mgs, and haying reversely- FRANCIS 5 curved lowerzendsurfaces adapted to con- Wlt-rressesz -vfdrm to the different Po itions of said Q W. H. HATHWAY,

springs und'er tQrsion. J --.GE0. W. ADAMS. 

